1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to client-server systems and in particular to a system and method for providing positional authentication for client-server systems.
2. Related Art
Computer networks are common and vitally important in many diverse applications including business, universities and government. In general, a computer network is two or more computers (or associated devices) that are connected by communication facilities. A computer network generally includes a server, which is a computer that provides shared resources to users of the network, and a client, which is a computer that accesses the shared network resources provided by the server using the communication facilities. This type of system is commonly referred to as a client-server system.
There are several popular client-server systems that are used in current networking environments. Some examples include intranet networking environments and the Internet. An intranet is usually a private local area network (LAN) environment. Intranets are very popular with both small and large companies and are becoming popular with home networking environments. The Internet is a public wide-area network (WAN) environment. One of the fastest growing aspects of the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW). This is because the WWW allows the dissemination of mass media to large amount of people. Both intranets and the Internet enable remote clients to request and receive data located on a server.
Another type of server-client system is an extranet. An extranet is an intranet that is partially accessible to authorized outsiders. However, extranets are generally set up on the Internet. Hence, an extranet networking environment, with relation to access, falls somewhere between an intranet network and the Internet. This is because the Internet allows public data access, while intranets usually reside behind firewalls and typically are local and only allow data access to specific groups or members of the same company or organization. In contrast, an extranet can operate in a LAN or WAN environment and can provide various levels of accessibility to any person. For example, many extranets allow data access if a person has a valid username and password, and the person's identity determines which parts of the extranet that person can view. As such, extranets are becoming very popular for allowing business partners and customers to exchange and access information located on a server system. However, when the Internet is used as a basis for an extranet, such as World Wide Web pages acting as software distribution points with virtual private networking (VPN) technologies, security can be compromised if location is an important access constraint.
Further, real-time positional systems access coordinate position data from various sources, such as local transmitters or satellites, and are becoming more and more popular. These systems include GPS (Global Position Satellites), MLS (Microwave Landing Systems), GSM (Global System Mobile), GIS (Geographical Information Systems) and CPS (Cambridge Positioning Systems) and have been recently incorporated into personal computers, electronic mobile devices and automobiles. However, limited uses are available for these positioning technologies. For instance, these systems are used to primarily support mobile mapping applications for recreational uses, such as driving directions, camping and hiking.
As such, there are limited applications available that combine both the versatility of computing devices with the capabilities of real-time positioning systems. Namely, current systems lack the power to provide a server system with secure protection from an unauthorized client user based on the location of the client user. In one example, access by client users, such as client-server extranets, to a particular server system is the same in all areas where the actual access is granted to the client users, even if the access is not intended for a certain area.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for providing access to client-server extranets based on positional data. What is further needed is a system and method that that automatically and dynamically locates position, matches data to position and automatically relays modified data to the client machine for authenticating and controlling access rights to an extranet connected to the client machine. What is also needed is a system and method that automatically prevents unauthorized access to the extranet based on locations where access is not allowed on the client machine.